Prison reform lecture by James Timpson OBE

Prison reform lecture by James Timpson OBE

Published on: 07/03/2017

James Timpson OBE, chief executive of high-street retailer Timpson, is sharing his expertise in prison reform at our annual lecture on Wednesday 8th March at 7pm.

The evening will take place in the Queen’s building at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and all proceeds from the event will go towards our work supporting children, young people and families, including those affected by imprisonment.

James Timpson, who is chair of the Prison Reform Trust and previous Chair to the Employers Forum for Reducing Reoffending, received an OBE from the Queen in 2011 for Services to Training and Employment for Disadvantaged People.

Timpson is a family retail business that recruits 10% of its 5,200 employees directly from prison, thanks to James’ unique recruitment approach. The process includes training and mentoring with offenders up to release, and the opportunity to secure employment with the company upon release.

Our Unite Programme works with offenders and their families across the region’s prisons and within the community to maintain positive family ties where appropriate. The charity provides children’s visits, parenting courses, family liaison and community outreach.

More than 200,000 children in the UK have a parent in prison. This is more than the number affected by divorce. As well as struggling with their own feelings, which can include anger, shame, loneliness, anxiety and depression, children with a parent in prison are often subject to social isolation, discrimination and stigmatisation.